Group B Strep Support Awareness Month & 20th Birthday

What is Group B StrepThe NHS estimates that about 1 in 2,000 newborn babies born in the UK and Ireland develops GBS. The bacteria can be passed on from a mother to her baby during birth. It can cause blood infection (sepsis), lung infection (pneumonia) or infection of the fluid and lining around the brain (meningitis).

About Group B Strep Support
Group B Strep Support formed in 1996, with just 3 members and one medical adviser. Fast forward to today and there are now around 500 members! Despite the growth over the years, they still have the same goals of increased awareness and support that they had from the beginning.

Awareness of the condition has hugely improved in the past 10 years. Between 2006 and 2015, awareness rates of GBS increased from just one in ten Mums, to five in ten. That’s up from 10% to 50%. It’s a big increase, but there’s still a way to go.

Group B Strep Support want every mum to be to be informed about the illness and be offered the opportunity to have a sensitive (ECM) test to detect GBS carriage late in pregnancy. The results of these tests can then be used to diagnose any further treatment and minimise the risk of GBS infection in the newborn baby.

Awareness month
This July is Group B Strep Awareness Month – coinciding with their 20th Birthday celebrations. You can help the charity raise vital awareness of Group B Strep (try and use #GBSaware wherever you can), and honour the babies who had Group B Strep infection.

We have 3 fantastic ways you can continue to raise money for Group B Strep support via us…

1. Cards for Causes
Raise up to 6% in FREE donations for Group B Strep Support when you buy or top-up your store cards.

2. Give as you Live
Raise free donations for Group B Strep Support when you shop online to your favourite stores.

3. Give as you Switch
Compare policies and raise huge donations for Group B Strep Support with Give as you Switch.